GLEN SHROOK ARCADIAINDIANA SERIES

The steep munros (mountains of over 3000ft, or 914m) of Sròn a' Choire Ghairbh and Meall na Teanga soar steeply above Loch Lochy, providing the perfect training ground for elite World War II commando units. The Great Glen is wilder here, cradled by magnificent mountains and ancient Caledonian pine forests.

GLEN SHROOK ARCADIAINDIANA SERIES

The best view of the nearby peaks is from Neptune’s Staircase, a series of eight locks which lifts boats up 13m and sets them on their way down the Caledonian Canal.Įven if you're not up to scaling Ben Nevis, a stroll through Glen Nevis repays the effort © luis abrantes / Shutterstock Loch Lochy, Loch Arkaig and Loch Oichįollow the salmon upriver to the fjord-like lochs of Lochy and Arkaig. Kayak and bike hire are readily available in town, while local guides such as Snowgoose Mountain Centre and Rockhopper offer sea kayaking and mountaineering courses. Fort William is also the launch pad for the upgraded Great Glen Cycle Route (NCN 78) and the Great Glen Canoe Trail. The Jacobite Steam Train, made famous by the Harry Potter series, starts its scenic 84-mile journey here. The town of Fort William itself is functional rather than beautiful, and has always been a strategic Highland hub. The idiosyncratic West Highland Museum is a good place to dive into Highland life and understand the glen’s tumultuous history. The now-ruined fort was built in 1698 when Jacobite rebels were opposing the British government, and was used as the base for the hunt of Bonnie Prince Charlie. The Great Glen Way stretches 79 miles from the Old Fort in Fort William via canal towpaths and low-level, loch-side forest tracks all the way to Inverness. Mountains and steam trains in Fort William Whatever your approach, the itinerary below will help get you started.

Most visitors drive the length of the Great Glen, but boating, cycling or walking will get you off the beaten track, whether you travel from coast to coast or base yourself in key areas such as Glen Nevis or Loch Ness. Just as well really, as the glen serves Scotland better as an outstanding destination of revolutionary history, unspoiled scenery and thrilling adventure activities. Impoverished Highlanders suffering in the wake of the Highland Clearances dug the 37-mile canal by hand and it remains an outstanding feat of engineering, but by the time it was finished the world had moved on, and the canal wasn’t wide enough to accommodate modern ships. The Great Glen Way walking and cycling route largely follows the path of the Caledonian Canal, which links lochs Linnhe, Lochy, Oich and Ness and was designed by Thomas Telford in 1822. Running arrow-straight from Fort William in the southwest to Inverness in the northeast, the glen has always been an important highway. Ben Nevis looms over the Caledonian Canal at the southern end of the Great Glen © Simon Butterworth / Photolibrary / Getty Images

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